1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical detection apparatus for detecting the concentration of a specific component in a biochemical sample using an optical method, an optical detection method, and a microfluidic system including the optical detection apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of microfluidics, conventionally, a microfluidic apparatus which is used in processes using a small amount of a fluid includes a chamber which stores a small amount of a fluid, a channel through which the fluid flows, and a valve which controls the flow of the fluid. A bio-chip is an apparatus in which an assay including a biochemical reaction can be performed on a small chip. Specifically, an apparatus in which many processes are performed to treat and manipulate a fluid on a single chip is referred to as a lab-on-a-chip.
In microfluidic apparatuses, a fluid flows due to an operating pressure. The operating pressure can be a capillary pressure or a pressure generated by a separate pump. Recently, disk-type microfluidic apparatuses in which a fluid flows by a centrifugal force generated when a microfluidic apparatus having a disk-like shape including a chamber and a channel rotates has been developed. Such disk-type microfluidic apparatuses are referred to as Lab CD or Lab-on-a-CD.
Results of biochemical assay, immunoassay, or gene assay which is performed in a disk-type microfluidic apparatus can be detected using an optical detection apparatus. A conventional optical detection apparatus utilizes a filter wheel to select a desired wave, utilizes a spectrograph and an array-shaped photo detector, such as CCD, or utilizes a plurality of mirrors and bandpass filters to separate light emitted from a light source into wavelength bands. However, such optical detection apparatuses require expensive optical components and thus the price thereof is high. In addition, a long time is required to detect results of various processes which are performed using the disk-type microfluidic apparatus.